§ *MR. KEIR HARDIE (Merthyr Tydvil)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether at any time since 1899 rations supplied for the use of the Army by any of the firms named in the recent Report from Pretoria were condemned; and, if so, who were the firms, the quantities condemned, the reason for their being condemned, and whether the rations so condemned were destroyed or returned to the contractor.
LORD STANLEYNo meat and vegetable rations supplied during the late war by any of the firms named in the Report were condemned on analysis in this country as unfit for the use of the troops in South Africa—but a large number of the so-called emergency rations were condemned — and the contractor has been required to make them good. The responsibility of the same contractor on a further consignment is under consideration.
§ *MR. KEIR HARDIEasked whether any of the rations condemned were supplied by any of the contracting firms mentioned in the Report from Pretoria.
§ *MR. KEIR HARDIEWill you give the names?
§ MR. WEIR (Ross and Cromarty)Name, name.
LORD STANLEYNo, Sir; I have just been informed that no telegram has yet been received at the War Office.